Movie Review: Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter
This weekend the film Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter opened in movie theatres in North America and did suprisingly well. It opened on Friday (June 22, 2012), playing at 3,108 theaters in the United States. It grossed $6,300,000 on its opening day, and ended up grossing $16.6 million over the weekend in third place behind Madagascar 3: Europes Most Wanted and Disney Pixar's Brave.
The movie is an action fantasy horror film based on the 2010 novel of the same name. The novel's author, Seth Grahame-Smith, also wrote the adapted screenplay. In the film and the novel, Lincoln is portrayed as having a secret identity as a vampire hunter. 30 year old American actor Benjamin Walker plays Lincoln in the movie.
The story begins with Lincoln as a child who befriends a young African American boy, William Johnson, and intervenes when he sees Johnson being beaten by a slave master. When the slavemaster attacks Lincoln's mother later that night, Lincoln's father tells his son that the slavemaster, named Barts, poisoned Nancy. Nine years later, after his father's death, Lincoln plans revenge against Barts and attacks him, but Barts, who is actually a vampire, overpowers him. Before Barts can kill him, Lincoln is rescued by Henry Sturgess. Sturgess tells Lincoln that vampires exist, and offers to teach Lincoln how to become a vampire hunter. Lincoln accepts and, after a decade of training, travels to Springfield, Illinois in 1837, where he begins to slay vampires. In Springfield, Lincoln befriends shopkeeper Joshua Speed and meets Mary Todd (played by Mary Elizabeth Winstead), who is also being courted by Stephen A. Douglas. Though he is warned by Sturgess not to form any close relationships, Lincoln eventually begins having romantic feelings for Mary.
The film follows Lincoln's rise both as a vampire hunter and as a politician. The movie presents slavery as the means of providing sustenance for the vampires and when the civil war breaks out, the real enemies of the north are the vampires who are threatened by the prospect of emancipation. Without giving too many (more) spoilers, the film has a very interesting ending that won't be lost on
potus_geeks.
Serious historians without a sense of humor will hate this film. It takes many liberties with history and there is much to nitpick in this regard. Also, if you hate blood and gore in your horror films, you shouldn't see this movie. But for followers of Rule 62*, it is good fun.potus_geeks who happen to love Buffy the Vampire Slayer will love this film too. I give it a B+ for it's entertainment value.
Here's a trailer for the movie, if you haven't seen it yet:
*Rule 62: Never take yourself too seriously.
The movie is an action fantasy horror film based on the 2010 novel of the same name. The novel's author, Seth Grahame-Smith, also wrote the adapted screenplay. In the film and the novel, Lincoln is portrayed as having a secret identity as a vampire hunter. 30 year old American actor Benjamin Walker plays Lincoln in the movie.
The story begins with Lincoln as a child who befriends a young African American boy, William Johnson, and intervenes when he sees Johnson being beaten by a slave master. When the slavemaster attacks Lincoln's mother later that night, Lincoln's father tells his son that the slavemaster, named Barts, poisoned Nancy. Nine years later, after his father's death, Lincoln plans revenge against Barts and attacks him, but Barts, who is actually a vampire, overpowers him. Before Barts can kill him, Lincoln is rescued by Henry Sturgess. Sturgess tells Lincoln that vampires exist, and offers to teach Lincoln how to become a vampire hunter. Lincoln accepts and, after a decade of training, travels to Springfield, Illinois in 1837, where he begins to slay vampires. In Springfield, Lincoln befriends shopkeeper Joshua Speed and meets Mary Todd (played by Mary Elizabeth Winstead), who is also being courted by Stephen A. Douglas. Though he is warned by Sturgess not to form any close relationships, Lincoln eventually begins having romantic feelings for Mary.
The film follows Lincoln's rise both as a vampire hunter and as a politician. The movie presents slavery as the means of providing sustenance for the vampires and when the civil war breaks out, the real enemies of the north are the vampires who are threatened by the prospect of emancipation. Without giving too many (more) spoilers, the film has a very interesting ending that won't be lost on
potus_geeks.Serious historians without a sense of humor will hate this film. It takes many liberties with history and there is much to nitpick in this regard. Also, if you hate blood and gore in your horror films, you shouldn't see this movie. But for followers of Rule 62*, it is good fun.
potus_geeks who happen to love Buffy the Vampire Slayer will love this film too. I give it a B+ for it's entertainment value. Here's a trailer for the movie, if you haven't seen it yet:
*Rule 62: Never take yourself too seriously.